Jon Show, writer for Sports Business Journal, has a great article about how the sport of golf is a sport struggling to hold onto an identity in which the primary fan base is much older and wealthier than some of the PGA professionals themselves. Given the recent economic conditions and a marketing shift by the LPGA women’s golf tour in order to grow a younger, more “online-savy” audience, the Professional Golf Association of America is realizing that it needs to change the way in which it promotes its athletes, deals with corporate sponsors, and most importantly, adapt to the change in the way golf is perceived and followed throughout the world. Show, the author who wrote about Legacy Direct and our “Legacy Scorecard,” comes up with some possible solutions for the PGA Tour to weather the storm of the economy and increase its following among the younger generation. An infusion of popular culture into the golf world is a likely step for increased marketability, as the LPGA has already embraced with its new logo:

A Colorful New Logo

Although professional golfers have limited time on their hands during a tournament event, Show talks about how it would be nice if the PGA Tour set some kind of precedent when it comes to interacting with corporate sponsors, who are stretching themselves thin just to have a presence at a PGA event. As of now, the tour arranges player appearances for weekly title sponsors and FedEx, the season-long sponsor for a points competition among players. Many people, especially the non-title sponsors themselves, feel as though they deserve a little bit more player interaction for what they are paying to be at the event. In addition to sponsorship, the article calls on the PGA’s marketing efforts to be better suited for a wider audience, specifically focusing outside of the average male golf fan and appealing to the sports & entertainment world as a whole. Lastly, Show talks about how the gap between the very wealthy, successful players and the newcomers on the tour is widening. “They need to spread the wealth,” says Bill Colvin, a marketing consultant for several different PGA Tour sponsors. You can view the entire article here: